Going Down Easy (Boys of the Big Easy #1)(71)

She’d thought that for so long. She’d thought Stella needed to know that Addison was the decision maker and the main go-to person who would always be there when her dad was a flake and her grandparents were doling out tough love. But she’d been wrong.

“It doesn’t matter who’s there for the storm,” Addison said softly, “as long as it’s someone who loves her.”

Gabe’s eyes flared at that. Then his jaw tightened, and he shook his head. “Well, I need to at least be one of the people there for the storm,” he said. “And I haven’t really been. I’ve always happily turned that over to my mom. In the for-better-or-worse and in-sickness-and-in-health stuff of parenting, I’ve been the for-better and in-health guy.”

“Oh, hell, any one of us would have done it that way if we could,” Austin said.

“That doesn’t make it okay,” Gabe said.

“Are you trying to show Cooper that you’re the worse and sicker guy or yourself?” Corey finally asked.

Gabe dragged in a deep breath. “Probably mostly myself.”

“And me?”

Addison was as surprised as anyone that she’d said it out loud. But this group was family. And she didn’t think Gabe would talk to her about it one-on-one.

He’d used the group initially to get to know her and tell her things about himself that she wouldn’t have listened to otherwise. So she would do the same.

Gabe looked across the circle at her but didn’t answer—to confirm or deny it.

She leaned in, resting her forearms on her knees. “Is that what this is about? You’re trying to prove to me that you can do this? That you aren’t just looking for a woman to step in as Mom for Cooper because you don’t want to do all the hard stuff?”

His jaw tightened again. Then he shoved to his feet. “I need to go.”

Crap. She hadn’t meant to push him away. But seriously? He was going to leave because she’d asked the hard question? She hadn’t left the meetings when he’d been pushing her, wanting to get closer, wanting to know all about Stella and her.

She jumped to her feet and scrambled around the chair to get to the outside of the circle, intent on going after him. She couldn’t watch him beat himself up like this, trying to show her that he could be something that she didn’t want him to be anyway. She didn’t care that he wasn’t good with the illnesses and nightmares and problems at day care. He was trying. That was all that mattered. And honestly, he was amazing at all the good stuff. She could take care of the other stuff. She was good at all of that. Because, frankly, she wasn’t as good at the good-time, fun stuff.

“Gabe!” But as she took a step in his direction, she felt a hand wrap around her wrist, keeping her from following.

It was Caleb. She looked down with a frown.

“Let him go, Ad,” he said, watching his friend disappear through the door.

“But—”

“Sit down, honey,” Bea said.

Surprised, Addison glanced at the other woman. “What?”

“Sit. Let’s talk.”

“I don’t need to talk,” Addison said. “Gabe’s the one who’s hurting. Who’s wrong. He doesn’t have to impress me.”

“He’s trying to impress himself,” Corey said from her left.

Addison looked at him. “He doesn’t have to do that.”

“That’s not for you to say,” Corey said.

But . . . she fixed things. She got things done. She took care of things. She was good at the for-worse and the in-sickness stuff. She could handle all of it. Gabe needed her to handle stuff.

“So if he’s wrong about something and making a mistake, I’m not supposed to tell him?” she asked. She looked around the group.

“I’m actually really surprised you’re not just letting him go.”

This came from Lindsey, one of the younger moms, and actually the only one in the group who was currently married. But her husband was overseas, making her essentially a single mom in many important ways. Lindsey was also the one who most often disagreed with Addison’s observations and feelings on parenthood.

Addison frowned across the circle. The younger woman didn’t speak directly to her often. “What does that mean?”

“I’ve listened to you talking for weeks, and I’ve seen you with Stella,” Lindsey said. “You let her try things and succeed or fail on her own. You talk her through things, but you don’t push her into anything. You let her make decisions, even at her age. But you’re not letting Gabe, a grown man, do the same thing.”

Addison sat back and crossed her arms. She wasn’t sure she was up for a critique of her parenting style or her handling of her relationship with Gabe from Lindsey. “And?”

“I’m just saying—this isn’t you,” Lindsey said with a shrug. “Your style is to stand back and let other people be who they are and do what they need to do. You’re right there, ready to jump in if they need you, but you trust them to know when they need you.”

Addison felt a little tension leave her spine. That didn’t sound entirely like a criticism. “Okay,” she acknowledged.

“And you think that’s worked with Stella, right?” Lindsey pressed.